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HB NEWS TTS GOING TO BE A LITTLE WHILE UNTIL WE FIGURE OUT WHERE THAT MARKET IS Continued from page 3 gap that appears in the Journal nal Energy and Building: Despite being outfitted in solar and environmental design features that were awarded the highest possi- ble LEED Platinum certifi- cation licensed by the ada Green Building Coun- cil, evolv1 still needed some ita-driv an inter- vention to realize its over- goal. Operations staff up- graded pumps and trialed new measures, such as ad- justing heating, ventilation and air conditioning sched- ules. According to the re- search, rformance im- provements resulted ina 15 per cent reduction in ener- gy consumption without compromising comfort lev- els and evolvl is now on track to producing be- tween five and eight per cent more clean energy than its consumption an adding it to the Ontario The building that's de- signed to hold about 400 employees is 95 per cent leased by tenants, includ ing Text Now, Ernst Young and Su: toe abe Wee terloo Region, but employ- ees are currently occupy- ing only about 30 per cent of the ® space, said Monika graduate stu- dent and lead r researcher. The study used 2019 en- ergy meter data as the baseline for energy con- sumption; however, the number of people inside the building doesn't actual- ly have that much bearing on the energy used for heating or cooling, noted Mikhail. Other factors like tenting, plug loads and sunshins e a greater in- fluence on the energy draw and the amount of power generated by the building's solar panels. Adrian Conrad, the Co- ra Group's chief operating officer, noted that evolvl stil generated 93 per cent uilding's energy coneenplion ina, which increased to 123 per cent and 126 per cent in 2020 and 2021, respectively, with fewer people in the office due to COVID-19. ita from september 2020 to Septem- ber 2021, evolvl produced about 30 per cent more en- ergy than it consumed overall, providing 204,000 kWh of energy back to the in North America, so I think the message for me is that that we can do it," said Conrad. He said Cora worked with university to validate what it's doing and help ol thers learn. Commission- grid, enough topower 21 ingresults were realizedef- homes for a year. Belently and quickly due to “COVID was a big sur-__ sensors and advanced me- prise to all of us, but ina tering that's installed sense, it wasalsoagoodex- throughout the building. Periment, “ Parker said. “Our goal was to develop ays ask the anet-positiveenergy build- question — how biga factor ing and we're quite proud are the people in the build- to be first in C: ing and we got to have that achieve that," Conrad said. experiment of rem Parker said the model most of the people," he: said: a crucial role in “It really just shows that helping achieve ecimate use: a lot of energy, and it's now important that we rethink about how we use all of these pieces as we go back into offices." fice buildings are typ- ically not energy efficient and globally contribute to nearly a third of green- house gas emissions, from construction to end of life. "We certainly have the ability to build sustainably "Tes 'S goatee ne ‘ees of, yes, we have the technol- ogy, yes, we have the skills, and yes, we've proven that that it makes a profit for de- velopers and investors who are in it for the long haul," Parker said. “For our 2050 climate goals, most of our buildings are already here, and we want to make sure that the new ones that we build aren't making problems worse." However, Parker ex- pects the commercial mar- ket will be restructuring for a while with people = spending less time in the office and hybrid work models here to stay. 2 The R&T Park in Water- = loo will be home to the Cora 3 3 ar | omc oouerem | 2 whicl willbe ocated on onthe & 8 opposite side of Wes Gra- ham Parkway, adjacent to evolvl. Leasing proposals are currently being accept- ed, according to an online brochure. "I'm going to be honest, COVID has put a wrench in new office development," Conrad conceded. "It's going to be a little while until we figure out where that market is." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: A study out of the University of Waterloo looks at how Waterloo's first "net-positive" office building has evolved in recent years. Ontario is hiring thousands of nurses, doctors and PSWs. See all the ways we're helping you connect to care at ontario.ca/YourHealth Paid for by the Government of Ontario Ontario © ee eo 'ejp]UOIyDOOLETEM